Why Your Weighted Vest Might Be Better Than Your Perfect Plan

I know I’m supposed to lift weights. I also don’t own weights or belong to a gym. For the past few years, my strength-training strategy has consisted mostly of thinking about strength training.

So yesterday I dug a weighted vest and wrist weights out of the garage and went for a walk. Is it the same as a carefully designed strength program? Nope. Is it perfect? Definitely not. But it was something. And isn’t estate planning exactly the same?

People put off estate planning because they think they need to do it perfectly. They think they need all the answers before they begin. They think they need every account statement gathered, every password organized, every family conversation completed, and a giant uninterrupted weekend to finally “get everything together.” So they wait, and wait, and think about estate planning. But progress doesn’t require perfection.

Maybe your version of the weighted vest isn’t meeting with an attorney tomorrow. Maybe it’s making a list of your accounts or having that uncomfortable conversation you’ve been avoiding. Maybe it’s opening up your copy of The Death Readiness Playbook and taking a look inside.

Small, imperfect action still counts. In fact, most good estate plans don’t happen all at once. They happen one decision at a time. Each estate plan starts with one document, one conversation, one list, one next step. You do not need the perfect plan to begin; you just need a bit of movement.

What’s one thing you’ve been putting off because you thought you had to do it perfectly?

‍ ‍